


The price of safety

by dc4me



Series: That tiny blue dot I call home [2]
Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/F, Family, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 08:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19719793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dc4me/pseuds/dc4me
Summary: She knew it. She fucking knew it would happen and her family would be in danger because of her heroics in space. That much was clear, but she refused to acknowledge it or see it as her new reality. She was gutted. Here was Maria with a gun wound in her arm, taking it like a champ really, but still injured and nothing that could be explained to a doctor without creating some Area 51 type conspiracies. Still Carol does her best to care for the wound, at least it's mostly superficial, but the fact remains that the scumbags of the universe did not hesitate to go after her family just to get to her.





	The price of safety

She knew it. She fucking knew it would happen and her family would be in danger because of her heroics in space. That much was clear, but she refused to acknowledge it or see it as her new reality. She was gutted. Here was Maria with a gun wound in her arm, taking it like a champ really, but still injured and nothing that could be explained to a doctor without creating some Area 51 type conspiracies. Still Carol does her best to care for the wound, at least it's mostly superficial, but the fact remains that the scumbags of the universe did not hesitate to go after her family just to get to her.

She wants to cry really, but she's, holding it together for Maria's sake, for Monica's sake that looks terrified now that her mother was shot. Carol promises herself that will be the last mistake those scumbags ever did. She'll take the ship and hurl it into a star if that means getting rid of them. She's done playing the good guy, not when her family is endangered like that. Fuck heroics and fuck being the better person. They will burn.

"Carol," Maria's voice pulls her out of her raging thoughts. She looks up to Maria, eyes terrified, expecting the worst. Maria though looks at her with so much love and her eyes are soft, despite the worry she sees on her face. "Where's your head at?"

Carol is about to respond and say something like "in the clouds imagining killing some space pirate scum," but she abstains because Monica is there watching them.

"We are fine Carol, we are fine. This is just a scratch and it will heal. Come back here with me," and it's then that Carol realizes she's glowing and it's probably what had Maria worried. Fuck. 

"I'm sorry," the blonde says and lowers her head.

"Nothing to feel sorry for. We took care of it didn't we?"

Technically they did but Maria still got injured and Monica still got scared. That's not really a win in Carol's book. 

"Carol, what's the matter?"

"I'm putting you in danger. Both of you. What I do up there is endangering you both and that… I'm terrified. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose Monica. I want you both safe but… I don't know how to do that. I almost lost you today and if I did I do not know what I would have done. Maria, I am terrified."

Monica scoots closer to Carol, sensing her mother's distress, and hugs her around the middle. Carol pulls her in her arms and holds her. Now that her arm is bandaged, Maria pulls her shirt back on, the sleeves covering the bandage, and she moves closer to Carol. 

"We are fine though. You came in time and I handled myself quite well, all things considered."

"He came here to hurt you because of me, though. I can't lose you."

"Why is it that I do not like where this is going?" Maria asks looking into Carol's eyes. 

"Maybe if I didn't come here, and I left…." but she trails off as Monica tightens her arms around her and hugs her closer. Damn, she should not do this here with Monica. 

"So what? Do you think we will be better off if you leave us?"

"Well you certainly wouldn't be exposed to danger like this."

"Is that your solution?" Maria sounds upset when she asks that. It really pains Carol to look at her partner. 

"Mama, please don't leave," and damn being stabbed in the heart would have hurt less that hearing Monica's plea while the kid was holding onto her so tightly.

Carol doesn't respond, but instead tightens her arms around Monica and drops a few kisses on top of Monica's head telling her she loves her so much.

Not much more is being said after that and it's bed time for Monica and she goes to bed but not without a fight scared that she probably won't see Carol again, that Carol would leave. 

Maria watches her silently and when Monica retreats to bed she goes to make herself a cup of tea, offering one to Carol. The blonde refuses, choosing instead to watch Maria make her tea in silence.

"You know, you could be more careful. There are ways you could avoid this."

Carol furrow her brows because there are?

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that you could get yourself a call sign, and wear a mask and when you come home to take a detour, not come directly here."

"What?"

"All I'm saying is that there are ways. You don't have to leave us to keep us safe. You just have to be careful to not reveal who you are to people and make sure you're not being followed home or that your way home can't be traced."

Okay that made sense even in Carol's mind among all the emotions swirling in there clamoring for attention.

"So you're saying I should wear like a sky mask with holes?"

Maria takes the tea bag out of the cup and adds a teaspoon of sugar to it. She makes her way back to the couch and sits next to Carol, cup in hand.

"You're a hero not a burglar. That mask from your suit covers enough of your face to keep you safe. But you could do with changing a few things on your suit to not make it so visible Kree. And you could get a call sign. Like you had in the airforce. Have people call you, I don't know, Avenger." She takes a sip out of the tea and she closes her eyes in pleasure letting the heat soothe her.

Carol scrunches up her nose at that. The call sign is tacky but she sees Maria's point. She looks back at her partner when she hears the click of the cup being deposited on the table.

"Carol, hear me out. Both Monica and I have been without you for 6 years and we barely managed to get through thinking you're dead. Now you're back here and we both know you're alive, and you've given Monica so much hope now that you're back."

"Maria, you don't understand. I can't be the one that causes you or Monica pain, the reason why you're hurt and injured. I couldn't live with myself. Please, please," she doesn't even know what she's begging for, she only know she wants her girls safe. 

"Carol, if you leave us to keep us safe, you will hurt us, hurt me, worse than what anyone in this universe could. Don't you get it? I would rather spend whatever time I have left on this earth with you than live 100 years without you."

Carol shakes her head as tears start to fall.

"I don't want to hurt you or Monica."

"Then don't leave us. Don't leave us, Carol," and the blonde sees the pain and hears the desperation in Maria's plea. Maria knows her so well. 

"I…"

"We will find a way. But I am asking you, no, begging you not to go, please," the tears are now falling from Maria's eyes freely and Carol wants to go scream into the void of space until she has no voice left because truly she can't be the one who hurts the woman she loves so much and she doesn't know what to do and what is the best thing and in an attempt to silence her own brain she kisses Maria and Maria kisses her back with just as much urgency. 

They end up crashing in their bed together, Maria pinned under Carol and Carol starts to slowly trail down Maria's body intent to worship the woman with everything she's got. It's as if she's starved or maybe she simply tries to commit to memory every single inch of Maria. 

.

When the morning comes around Maria wakes up to the first rays of sun streaming through the window. They did not have time to pull the curtains last night, too caught up in each other. She turns around intent on burring herself in Carol to block the sunlight but when she turns to Carol's side it's empty. Despite the pang in her heart and the pain in her stomach at the sight of the empty bed, she tries not to let panic overtake her, maybe Carol is downstairs, preparing breakfast. However as she pauses and focuses, she realizes she can't smell anything and she can't hear a sound. She gets up and runs downstairs, intent in making sure before she lets panic and sorrow grip her heart. 

She gets down and looks in the lounge and the kitchen. Her tea cup is now empty and washed. But there's no other signs that Carol stayed behind. She should feel sad but all she feels is anger. She wants to fall down and cry but the tornado of emotions in her mind is staved off for a moment by the sound of a muscle car pulling into the driveway. She looks up where the car keys usually are and sees that the keys to Carol's mustang are missing. Before she has any time to process she hears the door being opened and the ruffle of a bag being shuffled in as someone comes inside the house. She goes to see who it is, even though she knows it's Carol.

"Oh hey, sorry, I was meant to surprise you and Monica by making breakfast, but then I remembered I don't really know how to cook and we ran out of Monica's favorite cereals and I thought maybe I can find some pre-made pancakes or run to a store and grab some already made breakfast, I had no ide…" but her words die out as Maria pulls her in her arms and kisses her. 

"You're still here!" and she's not sure if it’s a question or an exclamation or both but she is simply happy Carol didn't leave. 

"Of course. I love you," she says that as if it explains everything and it really doesn't because Carol is Carol and it's never that simple.

"I mean, I thought about what you said last night and I guess I could be more careful and make detours and never come home the same way. I could do that… And use a mask and get a call sign and make sure I travel fast, faster than anyone and anything can keep up, and maybe change the costume. It's definitely easier to do all this and more compared to being without you and Monica. And we totally need to make sure you have a proper gun on you at all times and that I give you and Monica some sort of pager so you can call me if there's trouble and…" her rambling is cut short again by Maria who kisses her again, this time dipping Carol backwards as she takes full advantage of being taller than the blonde.

"Oh wow," Carol says with a grin when they pull apart. 

"I love you."

"Love you too. So much," Carol says as she pulls Maria in for another kiss and the bag she holds drops to the floor with a soft thud.

Maria breaks the kiss and looks at Carol amused "Is that our breakfast on the floor?"

"Oops," Carol dips down to pick it up again as Maria pulls away. 

"I'll go wake up Monica, and I'll give you some time to put it on a plate."

"Okay, but I was totally thinking I wanted to give you breakfast in bed. So what if you go back to bed and take Monica with you and I will bring it up?"

"Okay," Maria turns around not before dropping a peck to Carol's lips. And if she skips a step or two going up the stairs, well there's no one there to see her.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know what you think about it


End file.
